Devils Weekly #6
 Lowell Springs Into Second Place
 Double dose of Worcester on tap along with re-match vs. Providence

Last Week:
Wed., 11/4 – DEVILS vs. Hershey Bears – L 2-5
Fri., 11/6 – Devils @ ALBANY RIVER RATS – OTL 4-5
Sat., 11/7 – DEVILS vs. Providence Bruins – W 3-0
Sun., 11/8 – Devils @ BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS – W 3-2

This Week:
Wed., 11/11 – Devils @ WORCESTER SHARKS, 1:05PM
Fri., 11/13 – DEVILS vs. Worcester Sharks, 7:00PM
Sat., 11/14 - DEVILS vs. Providence Bruins, 7:00PM

The Devils bounced back from a loss earlier in the week to the Hershey Bears to take five out of a possible six points over the weekend.  Lowell suffered a 5-2 loss on Wednesday to Hershey before managing a point in overtime on the road on Friday versus Albany, 5-4.  The Devils got back into the win column with back-to-back victories over Providence, 3-0, and at Bridgeport, 3-2.   Lowell is now 7-5-3-0 and has jumped into a second place tie in the Atlantic Division with Worcester and Springfield.

The Devils face off with the Worcester Sharks twice this week, Wednesday at the DCU center, and Friday at home. After the short series with the Sharks, Lowell takes on Providence at home on Saturday to wrap up the weekend.  

Rewind:
Wednesday, DEVILS 2 vs. Bears 5
Waltham-native Keith Aucoin recorded a hat trick for the Hershey Bears as they defeated the Lowell Devils, 5-2. Nick Palmieri drew first blood for Lowell at 4:43 of the second, but Aucoin and Oskar Osala would score 1:39 apart to allow the Bears to take a lead they would never relinquish.  Aucoin made it 3-1 just 34 seconds into the third before Dean McAmmond notched his first of the year for the Devils.  Aucoin later completed his hat trick with 3:37 remaining in the contest.  Andrew Gordon and Alexander Giroux each added three assists for the Bears.

Friday, Devils 4 @ RIVER RATS 5 (OT)
The Lowell Devils held a 3-0 lead after the first 11:10 of play, but the Albany River Rats stormed back to eventually claim a 5-4 overtime victory at the Times Union Center on Friday.  Stephen Gionta led Lowell’s early barrage, scoring only twelve seconds into the game.  The goal was the fastest  scored in team history for the Devils.   The River Rats would respond by tallying the next three before Matt Taormina stopped the bleeding for the Devils at 7:07 of the third.  Albany would even the score once again to force overtime, where Jamie McBain notched the game-winner at 1:02. 

Saturday, DEVILS 3 vs. Bruins 0
Jeff Frazee picked up his first victory of the season with a 28-save shutout of the Providence Bruins, 3-0.  The Devils found their scoring touch with a pair of strikes late in the first period, as Ben Walter and Patrick Davis each put up a goal to give the Devils a solid lead. Devils rookie Nathan Perkovich then sealed the victory on a 2-on-1 goal 4:12 into the third for his second goal of the season.

Sunday, Devils 3 @ SOUND TIGERS 2
The Devils used two power play goals in the second period to pull away for a 3-2 triumph over the Sound Tigers.  Lowell struck early once again as Matt Corrente notched his third of the year at 1:39 of the opening period.  With the score even, 1-1, in the second, Nathan Perkovich and Michael Swift each converted on the man-advantage to give Lowell the lead for good.  Mike McKenna made 28 saves to help the Devils hold on and record his fifth win of the year. 

Around the Horns
Lowell’s penalty kill has clicked at 95.0% (19-for-20) over its last five games and at 95.7% over the last five home games (22-for-23)…The Devils are 4-1-0-0 in the second of back-to-back games…Lowell has the league’s third best power play on the road with a 23.4% success rate (11-for-47)…Two of the top three Devils scorers come from the defense corps – Matt Taormina ranks 1st with 12 points (7g-5a) and Matt Corrente is tied for second with 11 points (3g-8a)…Lowell has an AHL-best three players in the league’s top 20 leading defensemen scorers (Matt Corrente, Tyler Eckford and Matt Taormina).

Devils Near Perfection
The Devils’ family took 15 out of a possible 16 points during a successful weekend for the organization.  The Trenton Devils of the ECHL were perfect in a three-day, three-game sweep of the Elmira Jackals.  Lowell gained a point on Friday in an overtime loss to Albany, but rebounded to notch wins over Providence and Bridgeport.  The New Jersey capped off the weekend with a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Friday and a 3-2 win on Saturday at Ottawa. 

Coming Up
The Devils travel to Worcester for a mid-week matinee on Veterans Day and will then return home to take on the Sharks again Friday night. The Devils and Sharks have clashed twice already this season with each team claiming victory in their opponent’s home opener.  Nine of the Sharks’ 14 games this season have been decided by one goal, going 6-2-0-1 in those matches.   Worcester had their five-game home winning streak snapped on Saturday in a 2-1 loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Lowell and Providence face off for the second straight Saturday when they do battle this weekend at the Tsongas Arena.  The Devils’ 3-0 win last weekend evened up at the ten-game season series at 1-1-0-0.  The Bruins have dropped three in a row and have one win in their last eight games (1-6-1-0).  Providence’s leading scorer Andy Wozniewski is tied for fourth in the AHL with 18 points (5g-13a-18pts) and leads the league with 13 assists. 

Transactions
Nov. 6, 2009 – D Jay Leach recalled from loan to Lowell by New Jersey (NHL). Claimed by Montreal on re-entry
Nov. 7, 2009 – RW Trevor Kell recalled from loan to Trenton (ECHL)
C Tim Sestito recalled from loan to Lowell by New Jersey (NHL)

Upcoming Promotions/In the Community

  • Wednesday, November 11
    • Devil Dawg will be making a lunchtime visit to the Greenwood School in Wakefield, MA from 11:00AM – 1:00PM.
  • Saturday, November 14 vs. Providence Bruins
    • The first 1,000 fans, ages 14 & under, will receive a Lowell Devils T-Shirt, courtesy of Team Jungle
    • Join us after the game for an autograph session with the team, courtesy of Fidelity Investments. 
    • It’s also the last day of the Lowell Devils Annual Food Drive to help benefit the Merrimack Valley Food Bank.  Bring your non-perishable food items and receive a free ticket voucher to a future Devils home game. 
Leaders for Lowell
  • Goals: Tim Sestito (7)
  • Assists: Matt Taormina, Vladimir Zharkov(8)
  • Points: Matt Taormina (12)
  • PIM: Louis Robitaille (84)
  • Plus/Minus: Rob Davison, Stephen Gionta, Nathan Perkovich (+6)
  • Wins: Mike McKenna (5)
  • G.A.A.: Mike McKenna (2.34)
  • Save %: Mike McKenna (.924)
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